This supplement application to the MBRS SCORE Program, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico (MSC-UPR) expands the scope of support for biomedical research provided by the parent program thereby strengthening its ability to attain the long-term objectives of developing productive health-related research programs among faculty and contributing to a supportive campus research environment. Nineteen (19) faculty are supported by the parent program: 15 (12 regular and 3 pilot) projects were funded in August 2000 and 4 (3 regular and 1 pilot) projects were added in August 2001 via a competing supplement. The primary goal of this highly successful MBRS SCORE Program is to provide faculty an opportunity to generate sufficient data to publish in internationally recognized peer-reviewed journals and to support grant applications for independent research. Close coordination between the MBRS SCORE and MBRS RISE Programs provides quality research opportunities on the MSC-UPR for undergraduate and graduate students (98% are Hispanic) thereby obtaining the second MBRS SCORE Program goal of stimulating underrepresented minority students to pursue careers in biomedically relevant research. Research productivity among MBRS SCORE faculty is anticipated to increase by 10% per year for publications in peer-reviewed journals and all participating faculty will submit grant applications for individual research support by the third year. The 19 (15 regular and 4 pilot) projects in the parent MBRS SCORE Program include clinical studies, molecular biology of genetic disorders, vaccine development, immunology, malaria, HIV, and genetics as well as basic biomedical research in neurobiology, anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry. The 7 (6 regular and 1 pilot) projects in the current supplement compliment ongoing MBRS SCORE projects and incorporate clinical as well as basic science faculty in the School of Medicine. The addition of these projects will strengthen the existing physiology and biochemistry components of the parent grant as well as expand its scope to clinical areas such as breast cancer metastases, craniofacial development, genotypic characterization of bacterial clinical isolates, nerve regeneration, and pediatric nephrology.